Thousands join No Kings protest in Indianapolis, opposing Trump presidency

People packed the statehouse lawn for a No Kings protest Saturday, voicing opposition to President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies. 

The protest is one of thousands organized across the country and beyond, with similar protests held in Italy, France, and Germany.

At the Indiana Statehouse, protestors listed a number of policies they disagreed with, from Trump’s use of ICE enforcement around the country to the war in Iran, but most said they are more generally distressed by a Trump presidency they described as authoritarian and fascist. 

Indianapolis resident Lin Ames said she wants to see change. 

“The whole GOP regime needs to be gone,” she said. “Not just Trump.”

This is the third No Kings protest in Indianapolis since Donald Trump took office last year. Protests were held in June and October of last year - both also brought thousands of protestors to the Indiana statehouse lawn. 

This time, the protests included a $1 million ad campaign in more than 300 local papers nationwide, as part of the lead-up to Saturday’s event. 

Kim Saylor was an organizer of Indianapolis’ No Kings protest. She said it’s about giving people hope. 

“We’re not trying to change minds anymore. You’ve either made up your mind and you’ve picked a side or you haven’t,” she said. “This is about mobilizing people as it gets worse so we can take care of each other where our institutions won’t.”

Alongside the protest, a number of advocacy groups, politicians, and voter registration tables were erected around the statehouse. 

Julia Vaughn is the Executive Director of Common Cause Indiana, a voting rights advocacy group. Vaughn said her organization wants to recruit people to help monitor the state’s elections. 

“We pass out voting rights information to voters and help connect them to a hotline if, for example, they are told they aren’t on the list of registered voters,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of people really interested in wanting to help out with that project.”

“No Kings” emphasized voting at its flagship rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, livestreamed on Saturday. 

Voting registration is a key issue for many this year as Republican led states move to pass laws that would require more proof of citizenship in order to register to vote – like a passport or certified birth certificate. The move is in reaction to Trump’s longstanding and unproven assertions about non-citizens' voting influencing elections. 

In a statement to the Guardian, a White House spokesperson called the protests “Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions” created by "leftist funding networks." 

Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org